The Lancet medical journal (UK) has cited a study estimateing that Vietnamese men’s consumption of alcoholic beverages is higher than that of other countries else in the world, VnExpress reported.The data is published by the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016, a study of the use of alcoholic beverages in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016.
Vietnamese men in the group consume more than five standard glasses per day - the highest in the world
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The report also notes that the proportion of people consuming alcoholic beverages in the previous years in Vietnam was moderate for men, with 40- 59.9% of the population. This rate is still the lowest among women - less than 19.9%.
The Lancet’s report used 694 data sources on individual and national alcohol consumption, and more than 590 studies on the risk of alcohol use. Thus, they estimate and classify countries based on many criteria, such as the proportion of people using alcoholic beverages in a given year, unused alcohol consumption, or the number of standard glasses consumed per day.
Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) also estimated that the Vietnamese’s consumption of alcoholic beverages is higher than that of other countries in the region. On average, each Vietnamese aged 15 and more consumes 8.3 liters of pure alcohol per year, equivalent to the level of Thai people, more than that of the Chinese and the Singaporeans.
The use of wine and beer in Vietnam is estimated to cause 79,000 deaths in 2016. Hundreds of thousand people have been hospitalized for alcohol-related diseases. These numbers were announced at a meeting on July 18 between the Ministry of Health and the Consultative Group for Health, mentioning the draft law on wine and beer harm reduction.
The alcoholic consumption in Vietnam is at high level, creating many side effects, according to a letter by the WHO sent to the Vietnamese government, VnExpress also cited a report as saying.
WHO believes that the harmful use of alcoholic beverages is a major factor contributing to the burden of non-communicable diseases. It is also a risk factor for road traffic accidents, violence and injuries.
WHO's Chief Representative in Vietnam Dr. Kidong Park said that hazardous alcoholic consumption deprives valuable resources to meet the urgent needs of health care and development in Vietnam. It has serious economic and social consequences, with total damage due to alcoholic consumption in Vietnam is equivalent to 1.3-3.3% of gross domestic product.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said that the use of wine and beer in Vietnam has caused serious consequences for drinkers' health and the community. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the harmful effects of alcoholic use, thereby reducing the burden on the health system.
